Man, what a banger of a first chapter. Just truly pulls the rug out from under you.

But I think the book goes down hill from there. I truly disliked the main male character so I feel like that made it hard to root for him or enjoy his story.

I read it in one day though so that definitely tells you something. I loved the writing and the way the story was told. Definitely looking forward to reading what Loretta Rothschild puts out next!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Holy cow! This novel did an absolute number on me. After finishing the first chapter, I thought I may never get through the rest because I was so emotionally shocked and upset. I absolutely loved that this novel was still told from Honor's point of view. It gave such a unique perspective to the entire novel. I was a little concerned at first when Tom found Grace and didn't disclose who he was but their love grew in to something magical and pure. It was such a breath of fresh air to watch Tom fall in love with Grace but still respect the love he had with Honor. You felt the tension throughout Grace and Tom's love story because you just knew that it was going to implode. But having Grace come back to Tom at the end was a Chef's kiss! I need more from their story!

What an interesting book where a mother is lost and her spirit is left behind to watch over her husband. Before her death Honor was waiting to see if their surrogate mother was pregnant with their second child. Since Honor herself can no longer provide eggs, they got the baby from an anonymous doner. Fast forward around five years the baby in fact does take and Honors husband Tom receives a letter disclosing the name of the original egg doner. He then decides he wants to know more about this person only to end up being in a relationship with them. The only problem is Grace starts to open up to Tom and he continues to hide his past from her. This is a poignant tale of two people both dealing with past traumas and can they come to place where the past no longer haunts them. It is a very interesting read and one I feel like would be suitable for a book club.
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

📚: Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild
⭐️: 4/5

The synopsis of the book sets the scene perfectly well - and any more will spoil the experience:

Honor seems to have everything. She adores her daughter Chloe and her husband Tom (even if he does work 100 hours a week). But her longing for another baby threatens to eclipse all of it -- until a shocking event changes their lives forever. Years later, Tom makes a decision that ripples through their families' lives in ways he could not have foreseen.

First and foremost, I cannot say enough how impressive this is as a debut novel. The end of chapter one absolutely rocked the book -- I didn't see the core plot coming, and because of that, it's so important to go into this read blind. Minus a star for part of the ending - I have feelings about it that I won't get into here.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Finding Grace comes out on July 8th.

From the first chapter of a gripping tragedy to the end, this book is filled with love, loss and a rebirth of hope and joy. But there is also a desperate obsession and a complicated omission. The longer these are both allowed to linger the harder it is
to explain the truth before everything falls apart. 1Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for Martin’s Press for the eARC. This review is my honest opinion.

Loretta Rothschild is definitely an author to watch after this most impressive debut novel Finding Grace. She gives readers a gripping storyline with main characters that are realistically complex and very relatable. Difficult and emotional subject matter is handled admirably. It would be easy for a writer to overdramatize this novel, but Rothschild handles it with skill, maturity, and balance, letting the story and characters work their magic. I have given an additional star for a unique approach which I much enjoyed.

This book is difficult to review except vaguely; it would be far too easy to trip into revealing spoilers, and that only does a disservice to the author, and to you the potential reader. I will say that you have an opportunity to enjoy an amazing book, and I hope you take it. This book will stun you, break your heart, and fill it with hope again.

Kudos to the author, and sincere thanks to St. Martin's Press for allowing me to access a DRC via NetGalley. Publication is 7/8/25. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this e-Arc. Unfortunately, this title wasn't for me. I was a bit turned off by the MC's vibe from the get-go but pushed through to the end of chapter one to see if the plot twist turned this around for me. It in fact turned me off more! I just couldn't connect with the characters and the subject matter was just too off-putting for me. I didn't care or like the character of Tom enough to follow-through on the story and I could sense what was coming for the character, as well. It was DNF for me but thank you again for the opportunity to read and review, and I will be able to recommend this title to other readers in the future.

4.5 rounded down. I was impressed with this debut and found it captivating from the opening pages. The unique near-god POV is what really made it shine. I can see some audiences struggling with how little "happens," in it or with dishonesty playing such a key part in the plot, but I really enjoyed the writing style, story-framing, and themes in this and will look forward to more from this author in the future. A full review is posted on my website at: https://www.cassieetter.com/eclecticallybookish/reviews/finding-grace

I am not sure how to review this without spoiling it. I would just say that it's amazing, emotional, surprising, and fascinating. If the synopsis interests you, definitely pick it up.

Great debut novel! The beginning of this story starts off with a twist that completely changes the direction of the book. It is emotional and heartbreaking. It deals with grief, finding love again, and secrets that threaten to implode everything. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Finding Grace can be difficult for some people to read. The storyline can cause some triggering feelings. The story was a little bit hard for me to get into but I will check out future books by this author.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! This book started with a bang, literally. That is definitely one way to get the readers hooked in the very beginning. Overall I am not an emotional reader, but this one hit me. What a great debut novel from this author. I can't wait to read her future titles.

This is a must read.

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild
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Honor seems to have everything: a loving husband, an adorable daughter, and a fulfilling job. And yet she longs for another child. Years later Tom makes a connection with someone who has a surprising effect on his family.
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I don’t want to give anything away about this book, but if those first couple of chapters don’t hook you, I don’t know what will! This book quickly went in a direction I was not expecting and I could feel my eyes bugging out.

I really enjoyed this very unique story and just kept turning the pages. Honors POV was so intriguing and poignant, meanwhile Tom just kept making these choices in desperation that had me face palming.

I really don’t know how to categorize this book, it is kind of genre bending. It was contemporary, yet a family drama, with mystery elements.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you enjoy books that don’t quite fit the norm then I would suggest that you read Finding Grace.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC. This is her debut novel and it was soooo good. I really enjoyed this and couldn't put it down. It was easy to read with a good flow and it was narrated by one of the characters. This book took me by surprise, and just sucked me right in. There were many emotions throughout this book, it had me crying and laughing and feeling so bad many times. I can't wait to see what she writes next, but I will be reading it!

I loved this novel. When a baby and how it was conceiveds causes an issue between friends You quickly become in ested in the characters and the plot. Utterly original and so well-written. I hated to see it end.

The first part of this book had me thinking it was a thriller as shocking as it was. But then it developed into a beautiful literary fiction romance debut that I could not put down. There were themes of grief and moral dilemmas that I could not imagine going through. I will definitely be ready more from this author.

i was quite disappointed. the first third was quite intriguing, but then it fell off and felt like it was dragged on. the characters were also quite infuriating in a way that didn’t make me want to root for them. thus, by the end i was pretty tired.

thank you to the publishers for the e-arc

“The last time we were at the Ritz in Paris I had my fifth miscarriage at breakfast.” (subject to change in finished copy)

This is Loretta Rothschild’s debut novel and I am here for whatever she writes next. Finding Grace starts off with a bang and tackles a moral dilemma that comes about as a result of some misdirected mail. I won’t say more than that because this book is best to go in blind.

This modern literary romance with a twist was so satisfying. It had me frustrated and disliking the main character at many points but also the heart and emotional investment by this same character made me want them to succeed. Add in some drama and missed signals, Finding Grace fits across genres, from romance to upmarket/literary fiction.

As you can gleam from the first line of the book (above), infertility does play a role here so if you are very sensitive to that then this might not be the book for you. I will say that there is hope within the book. I think this would be a fantastic book club selection with lots to discuss.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinions. Finding Grace publishes July 8, 2025.

Finding Grace was an unexpected, heartwarming, crushing read. Within the first 30 pages of the book, the entire plot had an abrupt plot change that I did not see coming. I was shocked but I couldn't put this one down. This book is about grief, fatherhood, motherhood, fertility issues, widowerhood, and more. This is normally not a book I would read but I am so happy I picked this one. The writing made this book hard for me to put down and forget. The ending felt a bit abrupt but I enjoyed how it ended. I am now a fan of Loretta Rothschild!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Honor Wharton has the perfect life. She's a successful author of Children's literature, she has a handsome and successful husband in Tom, and a beautiful daughter Chloe. Honor also has a strong desire to have another child which her body just will not do. Her attempts at IVF and egg surrogacy have exhausted Tom. Enter Grace...known only as a number to Honor and nothing to Tom.

The very first chapter of this book will hook you and not let go until the very end. Much of the story is told through the eyes of Honor and explore so many topics...love, secrets, deceit, heartbreak, and joy. You will laugh, cry, and gasp...not necessarily in that order.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the eARC.